How to Remove Old Gum From Carpet

Remove chewing gum from your carpet with items you have around your home.

When discovering old chewing gum on your carpet, you may feel a twinge of panic and want to pull it off immediately. Resist this temptation, however, as you will need to treat it properly to prevent ripping out your carpet fibers. You can remove the sticky old chewing gum with common items that you have around your home. After you remove the gum properly, you can restore the carpet back to its original condition.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic sealed bag
• Ice cubes
• Plastic scraper or dull butter knife
• 1 tbsp. liquid dish soap
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 cups warm water
• Bowl
• Sponge
• Washcloths

Instructions

1. Fill a plastic sealed bag with ice cubes. Place the ice cubes directly onto the old gum until it hardens completely.

2. Scrape the gum off the carpet with a plastic scraper or a dull butter knife. Remove as much of the chewing gum as possible from the carpet. If necessary, freeze the old gum with the ice if it no longer feels hard.

3. Combine 1 tbsp. of liquid dish soap with 1 tbsp. of white vinegar and two cups of warm water in a bowl. Soak a sponge in the solution and wring out the excess liquid.

4. Blot the chewing gum stain with the solution. Apply a dry washcloth to the area to blot the liquid cleaning mixture to remove it from the carpet.

5. Rinse the carpet with cool water. Blot the area to dry it completely.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply a commercial dry-cleaning solution to the gum if the stain remains.

• Avoid rubbing the stain or you will push it deeper into the carpet.

References

• "The Washington Post": Simple Solutions to Holiday Entertaining's More Unsightly Mementos
• The Business Network: Use Ice to Remove Gum From Carpet
• Good Housekeeping: Gum Removal From Clothing